I’d like to share a little about what exactly it is that I do and where you can go for more information.
I help contractors do insurance work so that:
They get paid quickly
They make 35% gross profit on every job (at least)
They increase their service offerings (i.e. their past customers become future customers and referral resources)
The insurance repair industry is changing, and is ripe for a big change. There is typically a huge technical and cultural learning curve for new players. I am the only service provider in Portland that specializes in helping non-restoration GC’s perform insurance repairs.
With my help, any quality contractor can avoid the learning curve and break into this exclusive market. My dream is to have a world where the homeowner (insured) truly has a choice in selecting their contractor.
I know you do high quality work. That’s exactly the kind of work that most people want done when disaster strikes. I’m here to make sure you get paid on par with your quality level.
I’m enclosing a sample Xactimate estimate. As you’ll see, they aren’t exactly self-explanatory. This particular estimate was the final product of several rounds of negotiation and revision. The insurance company initially wrote their estimate at $53k. My first estimate was $94k.
With my help, we finally settled at $83,947 ($31,000 higher than the insurance company offered). And the contractor still has the ability to supplement for permits and other “open” items. I think I earned my 3%, don’t you?
My services also include an email campaign designed to get the word out to your existing client base about your new “restoration” services. I’ve got a plug & play template and an email marketing service ready to spread the word. Also, I can show you how to get on LinkedIn and Facebook. You really need to be there if you aren’t already.
Insurance adjusters are not the bad guys (or girls). I’d like to take this opportunity to make the point that insurance adjusters have jobs to do just like you and me. There are several critical steps in an insurance claim and the adjuster plays a key role in each one.
[An] adjuster… was “repeatedly and severely criticized for using discretion and judgment in evaluating and adjusting claims.” – Jay Feinman Delay Deny Defend 2010
“Beginning in the 1990s… insurance companies reconsidered [their] understanding of the claims process. The insight was simple. An insurance company’s greatest expense is what it pays out in claims. If it pays out less in claims, it keeps more in profits. Therefore, the claims department became a profit center rather than the place that kept the company’s promise(s).” – Jay Feinman Delay Deny Defend 2010
I’ve spent the last fifteen years working in the disaster restoration industry. If you had a flood, fire, or any other disaster covered by your insurance, I’m the guy that put your world back together. I care, and I want you to feel as if your disaster never happened.
My grandfather was an insurance agent. My uncle is an insurance agent. In the old world of insurance, the policy holder was the most important. In this world, if a client pays his or her insurance, that person is covered—completely covered. If there is a disaster, everything is taken care of.
But that is no longer the case. The industry I have known is completely changed. My clients are no longer “in good hands.” They are no longer treated “like good neighbors.” The policy holders and contractors I work with are treated with suspicion and contempt. My work to service claims is falling under the accusatory gaze of adjusters. These men and women are under constant pressure from their bosses to conform to a system that favors corporate profits over policyholders.
When the game changes, we have to innovate in order to survive and thrive. Claims Delegates exists to help you thrive in the new world of insurance claims.
Gone are the days when a homeowner can submit their contractor’s repair estimate and get paid promptly. Today’s repair estimates must be submitted using specific software, in a specific format, within specific parameters. Skip this process and your estimate is considered “Non-standard,” and these repair estimates are either completely ignored or payment is severely delayed. Worse, if the payment is made right away, it usually means that your estimate is far below what the insurance company thinks it may owe: you left money on the table.
Yes, the game has changed. I can show you how to play it right. “Restoration” contractors still enjoy some of the highest profit margins in the construction industry. Fire and water damage repairs continue to be extremely lucrative and rewarding. You just have to know how to play.
“Insurance companies rely upon the ignorance of their own policyholders. An uninformed policyholder will rarely argue with an adjuster, because they don’t know what they don’t know.” – Russell Longcore Insurance Claim Secrets Revealed! 2006
Homeowners that understand their rights and are willing to educate themselves will continue to enjoy settlements that far exceed those of the uneducated masses. It is not uncommon for a homeowner to receive several times what the insurance company originally offered. You just need the proper tools.
Claims Delegates helps you navigate the changing insurance landscape. I will show you the way through a minefield of restrictions, objections and “deny first, pay later” systems set up to keep insurance carriers from paying their fair share.
